
audiobook
POÈMES - Par - ÉMILE VERHAEREN - (Nouvelle Série) - LES SOIRS, LES DÉBÂCLES, LES FLAMBEAUX NOIRS - PARIS - SOCIÉTÉ DU MERCURE DE FRANCE - XV, RUE DE L'ÉCHAUDÉ-SAINT-GERMAIN, XV - DCCC XCVI
A haunting chorus of twilight voices sweeps through these verses, where evenings become a mirror for inner turmoil. The poet sketches solitary, fever‑stricken figures whose thoughts linger on the weight of mortality, the thin line between hope and despair, and the quiet ache of forgotten towns. Each stanza is drenched in stark, luminous imagery—black spires, flickering lanterns, and the relentless tide of night that both conceals and reveals the human heart.
The collection unfolds in three parts, each a different shade of darkness. In the first, “Les Soirs,” the speaker watches the world dim, turning ordinary streets into solemn sanctuaries for the weary. The subsequent sections deepen the mood, probing the collapse of ideals and the stark brilliance of night‑lit torches that blaze against an indifferent sky. Listeners will find a lyrical landscape that invites contemplation, where every line resonates with the fragile beauty of sorrow and the relentless search for meaning in the shadows.
Language
fr
Duration
~1 hours (85K characters)
Publisher of text edition
Project Gutenberg
Credits
Produced by Annemie Arnst and Marc D'Hooghe (Images generously made available by the Internet Archive)
Release date
2016-05-22
Rights
Public domain in the USA.
Subjects

1855–1916
A leading voice of Belgian Symbolism, this French-language poet brought huge energy and feeling to poems about cities, crowds, nature, and modern life. He was also an influential art critic, and his work helped shape the literary world of fin-de-siècle Belgium.
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